FreshEd Fifteen
by PopWitch
Summary: The stress of college, and his feelings for Eddy, have been bogging Double D down. And all Eddy wants to know is what's wrong.


It was now the beginning of finals week of his first year of college, and Double D wasn't doing a very good job of trying to hide his worries. Eddy was driving the both of them to their morning classes at Peach Creek Community College and blasting the oldies station. Meanwhile, Double D silently browsed the internet on his phone, occasionally biting his fingernails. Any attempts Eddy made at conversation were either ignored or answered with simple nods or "mmhmms."

The daily drives with Eddy to college were a normal routine, as was coming back to the cul-de-sac to meet up with Ed when he was done with trade school. Eddy drove an old, beat-up Chevy, which he bought money he earned from flipping "vintage" items on eBay over the years. Now, Double D found the car to be oddly comforting. He was still struggling to get his driver's license, mainly because he tended to have anxiety attacks during his drivers tests, so Eddy always drove. Their schedules were fairly similar, although Eddy had a lot more breaks throughout the day than Double D did.

However, today was obviously not the norm. Usually Double D was far too chatty early in the morning for Eddy's preference, but he'd been strangely silent the past few days.

"Alright Sockhead, what's been up with you lately?" asked Eddy with a raised eyebrow, still keeping his eyes on the road. He lowered the volume of one of his favorite Tom Jones songs, "Help Yourself," on the radio. "You've been actin' more hung-up than usual."

"N-nothing at all, Eddy!" replied Double D, taken by surprise. He averted his eyes towards the window. The last thing he wanted to do was pile all of his troubles and worries on his friend. It wouldn't be fair to him. Plus, where could he even start?

Double D's stress level had only multiplied by his first year in college. Due to his parents' insistence, and some peer pressure from Eddy, he ended up attending Peach Creek Community College. He not only was stressed out by the level of schoolwork, being in a STEM program of course, but mainly because he felt that his educational path wasn't his own personal choice. Double D had taken over 15 credits this semester alone in an attempt to challenge himself while attending a community college and maintaining a 4.0 GPA.

Meanwhile, his parents were strongly against him dorming at an out-of-state school, even though they were barely home themselves. Money was also an issue. There was no way Double D's family would be able to afford tuition and housing for four years of college, even with a scholarship. And scholarships were nowhere near as generous as they used to be. His grades were flawless in high school, but he didn't feel confident enough that he could receive a full ride scholarship somewhere, especially because Ed and Eddy often pulled him away from any stable extracurricular activities.

That was another thing. Ed and Eddy had no idea he felt like this, and Double D couldn't help but feel a little bitter towards them for it. Well, most likely just towards Eddy. He kept telling himself that if he hadn't felt so pressured by Eddy, then maybe he wouldn't be in this situation, even though he knew it was partially his parents' and his own fault too.

His feelings for Eddy were still all over the place. He was certain he felt something that went beyond friendship and it was honestly just another source of anxiety for him, mainly because he could never fully express it. It was easier to just bottle everything up.

At Double D's startled reaction, Eddy turned to the boy in the passenger seat with a skeptical look on his face. "Really? 'Cause I'm not buyin' it. You've been a mess lately."

"Keep your eyes on the road, Eddy!" yelled Double D, both out of fear and in the hopes of successfully changing the subject.

It didn't work. "C'mon, just tell me!" Eddy demanded, careful to watch the road this time as he made a turn.

"Well you know, it _is_ finals week. I can assure you that I'm currently feeling a healthy, normal amount of stress considering the circumstances." Double D gave a nervous smile and unconsciously reached towards his hat.

Although Eddy was facing towards the road again, he could see Double D's arm out of the corner of his eye and grabbed him by the wrist. "Stop that." He'd known Double D for long enough to know the real reason why he wore a hat every day; stress often caused him to compulsively pull out his hair. "You gonna tell me the truth or not?"

Double D turned to him and bit his lip, something he always did when he was nervous. "Perhaps it would be better to discuss this matter at a more appropriate time? W-we are almost at school, after all!"

Eddy approached a stoplight and looked at Double D, starting to look visibly angry now. "Whatever, Double D, it's your freakin' problem, not mine." They both sat in silence, hearing only Tom Jones faintly in the background, until Eddy eventually parked and slammed his car door behind him as he got out.

Double D knew he wouldn't be able to focus on his studies in this kind of mood all day, and assumed Eddy would have the same issue, despite the fact that Eddy hardly put effort into his schoolwork. They reached their community college campus, surrounded by a great lawn on one side and science and math buildings on the other. Both boys were about to part ways when they reached the fountain in the middle, but Double D grabbed Eddy by the shirt sleeve.

Eddy looked down at Double D's hand and frowned. "Look, Double D, you're gonna make us late. You should've just told me in the car."

Double D looked at his companion with a raised eyebrow. "And since when have you cared about being late for class?"

"Just get on with it," Eddy grumbled, avoiding eye contact with him.

"Well, the truth of it is, I despise community college. My classes aren't nearly challenging enough, and none of my classmates share my passion for learning. But… you and Ed kind of pressured me to stay in Peach Creek, even though I very much wanted to go away to school," the taller boy said with a nervous smile.

Eddy's expression drastically changed to a silent, judgmental look. "Oh really? You sure you weren't just blindly goin' along with whatever your parents say? Ed and I had nothin' to do with that, so don't blame us."

"Then why were you constantly telling me to stay here?! Maybe if I had a _supportive friend_ who cared about what would make me happy, then I would've told my parents 'no'!"

"It's because I _do_ freakin' care about you, Double D!" Eddy shouted, garnering some stares from other students near the fountain. A look of panic set in after realizing what he'd just said and where they currently were. Double D's eyes widened from surprise at Eddy's words, as well as anxiety from the reactions they were getting. Eddy grabbed Double D by the arm and started off towards the back of the nearest science building, away from the mass of students on the way to class.

"Eddy, what are you do-" asked Double D before he stumbled over his own feet as a result of being dragged. Eddy finally stopped far enough away from an entrance to the building to avoid another crowd of students.

He was now facing Double D, however his eyes seemed to avoid the other boy's gaze. "There! I said it!" He crossed his arms with a frown, as if to protect himself. "I care about you… and that's why I didn't want you to leave, okay?" Eddy's face was clearly flushed, but whether it was from embarrassment or being worked up, Double D couldn't tell.

"Well, as one of my closest friends, I believe that your continuing education is far more important than spending time with me, or anyone else for that matter." Double D chewed his lip, clearly rehearsing what he was about to say in his head.

"You're missin' the point." How could he be this dense? Eddy leaned against the wall and ran a hand through his hair, suddenly feeling nervous and insecure. "I... uh, well," Eddy cleared his throat briefly while Double D stared at him, unsure of what he was going to say next. "Maybe I just, uh, care in a different way than you do? Yeah, you know, a different way of caring!" He gave his friend a nervous smile, which was met with a frown in return.

"What exactly are you trying to say, Eddy?" asked Double D, a little nervous and exasperated at the same time.

"I didn't try to pressure you! I just asked you to stay because," with sweat dripping down his face and in a quieter voice, Eddy continued, "I kinda like you as more than a friend, alright? It's not my fault you actually listened and went to community college with me." With that, he turned away as if to brace himself for inevitable rejection, absentmindedly kicking at a few pebbles on the ground.

"Y-you have romantic feelings… for _me_?" Double D was completely dumbfounded more than anything else. Not only had Eddy successfully changed the subject, but he admitted romantic feelings for him on top of it. He hated how this long-awaited confession came in the middle of an argument, so he couldn't even really feel the joy that came with his feelings being returned. "Don't you think this is the wrong time to be discussing this?"

Eddy turned towards Double D again and frowned at his reaction. Although Double D wasn't outright rejecting him, he was dismissing the issue again. "No. I've already waited too long to tell you this; I shoulda told you years ago. I'm sorry if I pressured you, okay? It's all my fault. I just wanted to hang with you, but I guess it's weird that I'm gay or whatever. Or bi. Yeah, I guess I'm bi-"

"Eddy!" Double D's voice was a violent whisper. "My apologies for cutting you off, but I really think we should part ways and talk about this later. I appreciate the sentiment, and I admit that I even feel the same way. However, school is hardly an appropriate place for this discussion."

Now shining with a slight glimmer of hope, Eddy began to feel more confident. Double D just admitted that he returned his feelings, so why couldn't they talk about it now? For some time, Eddy had a hunch that Double D felt something more than friendship towards him, probably ever since that day Double D forgave him at his brother's amusement park. That had to be when he first realized it. But his own insecurities always made him unsure.

Shaking his head, he forced himself out of his thoughts and looked at his friend with a cocky grin. "Sockhead, there's no one else here." To confirm that, Eddy took a quick look around. Other students were in class, or studying at the library, by now. "You wanted to have this whole 'serious talk' right before class started, anyway. So let's chat." He slid down against the side of the building and sat down, patting the spot next to him for Double D.

"… Fine. I suppose I can miss American History today. But that's only because it's an optional review for the final." With flushed cheeks, Double D slunk down next to him and set his messenger bag aside. He was silent for a moment, which made Eddy feel just a bit more nervous. If that was even possible.

"Really, I'm flattered. Although I wish you could have told me at a more convenient time," Double D continued before going quiet again, biting at his cuticles.

Why did Double D always have to pick at his skin or hair? "Yeah, and?" Eddy asked, lightly ghosting his hand over his friend's. After all, how else would he get him to stop? "There's nothing else you wanna say?"

"Eddy, you really can be absolutely infuriating." In spite of himself, Double D placed both his hands down at his sides and gave the other boy a shy smile. "I didn't think we'd ever be having this conversation. But, in all honesty, I'm a little hesitant to enter a romantic relationship with you." He cleared his throat as Eddy's face dropped just a bit. "As you know, I, well… lack some of the dating experience you possess." Eddy raised an eyebrow in response. "I also hesitate to change the dynamic in our friend group. And, in addition to that, I have very high career prospects. I'll have to leave Peach Creek eventually, and I already know how you feel about that."

"You done prattlin' now?" asked Eddy as he scratched the back of his head. "You know I don't care about that stuff. Don't think Ed does either. He's just Ed. But Sockhead, you gotta stop actin' like I forced you to stay in Peach Creek. You and I both know it's not true, so quit makin' a scapegoat out of me." And even though Double D kept treating him like that, he still wanted to be with him, for some crazy reason.

"Perhaps I have been slightly unreasonable." Sighing, Double D scooted a little closer to his friend. "It isn't your fault, nor Ed's, that I'm still here in Peach Creek. I would have liked to finally leave Georgia and attend a more prestigious university. But that may be impossible. Tuition is astronomically expensive, and obviously you already know how my parents feel about the matter."

Wordlessly, Eddy nodded, waiting for Double D to continue.

"So, I'd like to apologize for my earlier outburst," the taller boy finally blurted out, his face growing even hotter. It was the embarrassment of being wrong.

Eddy loosely wrapped an arm around Double D, and he could feel the other boy grow less tense under the weight of his arm. It had to be the first time in over two weeks that he saw his friend actually visibly relax. "Don't worry about it. And I mean it. You need to stop worryin' about everythin'. We better make the best of livin' in this shithole while we're stuck here, right?"

"No need for such coarse language, Eddy." Unable to maintain his usual, serious air for much longer, Double D broke into a grin. "But I do agree with you. Let's make the most of the time we have. So, shall we head to the library and study before our next class starts?"

"Sure. Not sure how much studyin' I'll do, though. Just one quick thing first." As they both stood up, Eddy took hold of Double D by the strap of his bag and pulled him closer. He gave him a peck on the lips that was so quick, Double D hadn't even realized until it was over. Once again, his face turned red with embarrassment. "Now we can go," Eddy announced with a smirk, taking his hand and walking with him, side by side, to the library.


End file.
